1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control technology for a network device compliant with network plug-and-play.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plug-and-play is a well-known technology that enables peripheral devices to be connected to a computer or disconnected from a computer at any time, after the computer has been started up. In recent years, extension of plug-and-play technology to networks has led the development of Universal Plug and Play (hereinafter referred to as “UPnP”; UPnP is a trademark of UPnP Implementers Corporation). The use of UPnP enables network devices to be connected to a network or disconnected from the network at any time. Herein, the architecture for realizing such plug-and-play capability in a network will be termed “network plug-and-play.”
UPnP compliant network devices are able to function as service devices of various kinds. Here, “service device” refers to a device for executing a particular service in response to an external request. Service devices can be realized as devices of various kinds, such as a printer, scanner, fax, copier, memory device, camera, clock or the like. It is also possible for the functions of several service devices to be realized by a single device.
In this way, UPnP compliant network devices can take a variety of forms. On the other hand, where an appropriate device configuration is employed for each of a number of individual network devices, control of the network devices may become complicated, or it may become necessary to modify control methods on an individual network device basis, resulting in the problem of considerable labor entailed in their design and fabrication.